The Taming of the Shrew

Synopsis

Two wealthy sisters in Padua must be married off. The modest, demure Bianca has no shortage of suitors, but who on earth will take the wild, ungovernable, ?shrewish' Katherina? Perhaps the gold-digging Petruchio, as maddeningly strong willed and perverse as Katherina herself, will be equal to the task of bullying her to the altar. Shakespeare's outrageous comedy introduces one of the theatre's great screwball double-acts, a couple hellbent on confusing and outwitting each other right up to its controversial conclusion.

Our Review:

10 October 2011

Updating Shakespeare can be a tricky business, and presenting the potentially misogynistic ending of The Taming of the Shrew will always leave a modern audience asking questions. Is Katherine truly tamed? Is this a good thing? And is Petruchio a lovable git, or just a git?

Robin Norton-Hale’s latest production sets Shakespeare’s play in a city familiar to our own. When out-of-towner Lucentio (Will Featherstone) arrives, it is as an excitable tourist; Baptista (Dave Fishley) is a businessman who wants to secure the best deal for his daughters Katherine (Elexi Walker) and Bianca (Simone James); and Petruchio (Simon Darwen) is a bit of a Sloane-ranger.

As the eponymous shrew, sharp-tongued Katherine (Walker) comes across as smart rather than downright insolent, and her unorthodox relationship with Petruchio (Darwen) is something the audience can really get behind. Darwen himself gives a bullish performance, openly daring the audience to con...

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